Food Choices and Dental Health

The foods that you choose to eat will have a huge impact on your dental health. A healthy diet can lead to strong and healthy teeth. On the other hand, poor food choices will likely lead to numerous dental health concerns. Luckily, the food choices that are best for your dental health tend to be the same choices that are best for your overall health and well-being.

The Good

A well-balanced diet is the key to overall good health. This is also true for your teeth. You should try to consume a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. By eating a balance of whole grains, healthy vegetables, fresh fruit, and lean proteins, you can improve the health of your teeth.

Adding low fat or fat-free dairy to your diet will also help create strong bones in your teeth, in addition to throughout the rest of your body. In between meals, it is a good idea to drink lots of water. Not only will this water keep you hydrated, but it also helps ensure that any remaining food particles get flushed through your digestive system instead of sitting on and around your teeth.

The Bad

Avoiding snacking is one of the key strategies to avoid foods that will cause dental distress. Snack foods typically contain more of the carbohydrates that are likely to lead to tooth decay.

Ideally, you should be brushing your teeth after each meal. If you then avoid snacking, you will not have to worry about bacteria sitting on your teeth, causing decay. On the other hand, an in-between meal snack will negate the benefits of this after-meal brushing.

The other food that should be specifically avoided is sticky sweet snacks. Things like gummy treats are higher in the sugar that leads to bacterial growth and tooth decay. They are also harder to rinse or brush away from your teeth.